An SPD Christmas Carol
by D.Nic
Summary: It's the holiday season in Newtech City and Sky, as always, isn't in the mood. But, this Christmas he's taken on a journey that unlocks some of his worst Christmas memories and forces him to confront his actions before it's too late...for everyone.


Inspired by the Charles Dickens classic…

"An SPD Christmas Carol"  
By Nic

**PART ONE**

Winter in Newtech City made it look like any other city. There was no futuristic technology to make the snow stop, or keep the temperature from dropping with the sun. In fact, this December night in 2025 looked like many Decembers past. A thin layer of snow rested on most surfaces that hadn't moved in the last two hours. The flakes flowed steadily, blanketing the entire city in a cover of white.

To many, falling snowflakes had the ability to bring certain merriment, for they were symbols that Christmas was approaching. Within the walls of Space Patrol Delta Headquarters, deep in the heart of Newtech, the holiday spirit was certainly in the air…for most.

As Sky Tate stood at one of the tracking stations inside the Command Center, he pressed a few buttons, allowing him to widen his visual scans of the city outside. He saw parents packing their trunks with toys, kids attempting to pull their parents into toy stores, and couples enjoying the falling snow as they walked in a local park. But for Sky, his visual patrol of the city did not show him what he was looking for.

He knew they had to be there. No criminal could resist the money and merchandise changing hands out in the city. He just needed one bite to sound the alarms and bring justice this Christmas. Little did he know that justice was indeed coming, but it did not have such an obvious perpetrator in mind on this night.

Sky frowned as he continued to scan the city, barely noticing the entrance doors sliding open behind him. As Boom scurried in, he seemed to lock eyes immediately with Sky's back. He approached him, excitedly.

"Sky," Boom called out, drawing Sky's attention away from the monitor.

Sky let out a deep sigh, clearly upset to be interrupted.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well, I hadn't heard from you and I was just wondering if you were planning to come to the holiday party tomorrow?" Boom wondered.

"You mean that Christmas party you put together every year?"

"Yeah," Boom said, with a grin that faded as he put up an objecting hand. "But, we're not calling it a Christmas party anymore. It's not very politically correct to Commander Cruger or Kat. And don't get me started on all the changes Bridge wants to implement to make sure that we include some Jewish tradition."

Sky rolled his eyes.

"I can imagine."

"So, can I add you to the head count?" Boom wondered.

After a moment of thought, Sky looked into Boom's happy eyes.

"No way," he said finally.

Boom's happy eyes turned a bit gray.

"Why not?"

"You know I don't do Christmas," Sky said.

"Yeah, but I thought…you know, this year—"

"Boom, look around you," Sky said, as he swung his arm around the empty Command Center. "If tomorrow's anything like tonight, I'll be right here, keeping an eye on the city, unlike everyone else who thinks it's more important to neglect their duties just because it's late December."

Boom lowered his head a bit.

"Okay," Boom said quietly, as he turned away from Sky.

Sky watched the gadget-tester approach the exit doors, which slid open to reveal Jack Landors heading inside. Jack watched a gloomy Boom pass him. He greeted him warmly and Boom returned the pleasantry, but his response was tinged with disappointment.

Jack's gaze moved to Sky, as the doors closed behind him.

"What was that about?" he asked the Blue Ranger.

"Boom can't handle the truth," Sky replied, as he shrugged his shoulders, "what's new?"

"Lemme guess. This has something to do with his Christmas party," Jack said, as he folded his arms.

"A party I told him I wouldn't be attending," Sky said.

"Why not? I heard it's usually a fun time," Jack said.

"This is SPD Headquarters. It's not the place for fun," Sky said. "We're supposed to be keeping the city safe, which you seem to have forgotten."

"What's gotten into you?" Jack asked.

"Safety's gotten into me," Sky said, angrily. "I'm so tired of everyone running around acting like this is the time to pretend that crime doesn't exist, because it does! I'm not gonna ignore it just because a fat guy in a red suit thinks I should."

"Sky, that's not what Christmas is about," Jack said.

"It's not about singing songs, pigging out and begging for gifts either, but that's what happens around here this time of year. Believe me, I've seen it firsthand."

"You know, Sky, last time I checked, being selfish and distant wasn't what the holidays were about either," Jack said, "It's about being happy and thankful for what we have, celebrating with friends and family."

Sky's brow contorted as he heard that last word.

"You go celebrate, Jack," he said, his voice low and angry. "I'll stay here and take care of the city, like I always do. Hopefully then, Cruger will see who should be in charge around here."

Sky turned his back on Jack and returned his gaze to his patrol station, looking out on the city and the falling snow.

A few hours later, Sky found himself walking in the corridors of the Delta Command Base, heading for his room. As he turned a corner, he passed Doctor Kat Manx. She was wearing a beige jumpsuit, with a festive red vest. She smiled at him.

"Hey, Sky. Merry Christmas," she said, as he passed.

"Whatever," Sky replied, continuing on his way.

Kat's smile faded, quickly turning to annoyance. She shook her head and continued on here way, as Sky did the same.

He didn't stop until he reached his room. As he unlocked the doors and they slid open, he almost jumped out of his skin as he saw the image of his father standing before him. After a gasp, he instinctively stepped back away from the doors, causing them to close. His breathing sped up. Sky looked around him but there was no one around at that moment. He was confused. His father was there. He was certain of it. The image of him, however, wasn't how Sky remembered. He was hurt, injured.

Curiosity got the best of Sky and he stepped up to the doors again. They slid open and he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He shook his head as he entered fully, glancing around the entire room, looking for some sign of Officer Tate.

"You're driving yourself crazy," Sky muttered to himself, as he sat down on his bunk, across the room from Bridge Carson's.

He didn't know what could have caused the apparition. It was during this time of year that he tried not to think of his fallen father at all. He reached over and grabbed the framed photograph of his father that he kept by his bedside. He glanced into the photograph and saw his father as he remembered him, strong and vibrant, nothing like the image he saw in the doorway.

"A long time has passed," a voice called out.

Sky dropped the photo as he recognized the voice. It had been fifteen years, but he still remembered his father's voice. As he looked upon the ghostly apparition of his dad, he gasped again. He held tight to the bed beneath him, as he wondered if he was losing his mind.

"What is going on?" Sky said, in a practical whisper. "You're not really here. You can't be."

"There are many impossibilities in this world, but trust me when I say that I am here."

As Sky heard more, he realized his father's voice was different. His tone was somber and devoid of life, two traits that he never used to describe his father. He looked different a well. Despite his practical transparence, Sky could see wounds on his arms and chest, blood stains and even a bandage wrapped around his head.

"What happened to you?" Sky asked.

"I was destroyed, son. Don't you remember?"

"I…I never saw you like this," Sky said, as he turned his head away.

"You see me now," his father said.

"No!" Sky said, "It's not you. It can't be."

"It is me!" his father said, more sternly. This time his voice was dark, almost sinister. "You must look!"

"No, dad," Sky said, almost whimpering. "I don't want to look."

"Is it because you'll see me as a mirror?"

"A mirror?" Sky muttered, still refusing to bring his eyes toward his father's ghost.

"A devastating portrait of your own future," his father said, "Don't you understand that's why I've come."

"I don't understand," Sky said, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because, my son, you are on a dangerous path," his father explained, "You've forgotten what's important."

"What's important is honoring your legacy, not thinking of you like this."

"I am like this!" his father said, "If you cannot face me, how can you change what you've become?"

"This is not you," Sky replied, "You were an officer. You were powerful, commanding, a great man! This is…this is—"

"A shell!" the elder Tate exclaimed, "A rotting shell of my former self? Is that what you want to call me now? You're right, I am not what I was, but I've come to terms with that. The only thing I can do now is try to save my legacy from the same fate. I lost a part of myself…when I was on your path."

"My path?" Sky said, confused.

"Yes, I missed so much and I regret that…so much so that I roam the spirit realm, wondering why—why I felt family wasn't important enough to be more careful, to take advantage of the kindness around me. I was a fool. You are a fool."

"It's not true," Sky said, "That's not what you were!"

"I came here to prevent you from following me," his father said, "On this, you must believe and you must understand. I know now that I cannot make you."

"Yes," Sky said, "Just go. I don't want to be haunted by grotesque impossibilities."

"I will go," his father said, "But your journey on this night is just beginning. You will be visited by spirits who will appeal more to your senses. I only hope they can appeal to your soul as well, because it is in grave danger. If you cannot embrace the warmth around you, you will die a cold, lonely soul. And, you will roam, as I have, wishing for another chance."

Sky felt a strong gust of wind pass his face and in that instant, he was alone in his room once again. He looked around the place several times, with a troubled look on his face. He didn't know what to make of the supernatural encounter he had just experienced. He unzipped his uniform jacket and tossed it on the floor, which would surely shock his roommate upon his return, but Sky didn't care. He had so much on his mind. He lay back onto his bed, closing his eyes. In that moment, he felt so exhausted that he fell fast asleep, despite his father's ghost still being on his mind.

**PART TWO**

As Sky slept soundly on his bed, a gust of cold wind blew past his face. The chill felt almost like a blade slid across his cheek. His eyes opened immediately, for he knew that there were no windows in his room inside SPD Headquarters. There was no place for a draft to originate. He sat up and it was then that he saw the tall figure standing at the foot of his bed. It was a familiar face, but in a not-so-familiar form.

"Commander, what are you doing here?" Sky asked, as he rubbed his eyes.

The dog-faced creature stood still and silent, staring at Sky. As the cadet looked closer he noticed that the Sirian he knew as Anubis "Doggie" Cruger was quite pale. In fact, it was at that moment that Sky realized he could actually see right through him. He stumbled out of his bed, startled by the ghost. He rushed to the other side of the room, grabbing, poking at his roommate.

Bridge Carson did not move. Sky continued to prod Carson, until he noticed a hint of yellow fluid dripping from the Green Ranger's mouth. Sky's face contorted. He knew it was melted butter. If Bridge had went to bed with his usual midnight snack, there would be no waking him.

"I would not disturb him," the ghost, who was not actually Doggie Cruger, spoke.

His voice was ominous and dark.

"What are you doing here?" Sky asked, as he looked upon the apparition again. "What are you?"

"I am a wandering spirit," the ghost said. "I've taken this form because it is important to you. It's my hope that I can help you and this appearance will help you trust me."

"Help me?" Sky said aloud, "What kind of help?"

"I am a ghost who travels roads passed," the ghost explained, "I will help you by taking you down your past roads."

"I don't understand how that can help me," Sky said, "Especially since I don't have a problem."

"Your father said this would prove difficult," the ghost who looked like Cruger said. "But if you come with me, you may just learn something very important about yourself."

"Oh, yeah? And what would that be?"

"You may discover how a warm heart became so cold," the ghost said.

Sky felt the intense urge to move forward, towards the sliding doors, where the spirit stood, gesturing for him to leave his room. Sky looked back at Bridge, who was still fast asleep in his bed. He turned back to the ghost and stepped forward through the open doors.

Once Sky passed through he realized that he was no longer inside SPD Headquarters. The Delta Command Base had been replaced with another familiar setting. Despite the lights being so low, he recognized the place in an instant.

"I know this house," he spoke aloud, "I used to live here."

"You still do," the ghost said, as it pointed its finger towards the far side of the room.

Sky followed the direction of his finger and saw a glowing tree in the distance. The soft white sparkling lights on the green tree contrasted well with the roaring fire near the tree. On the fireplace mantle was a large photograph. Sky recognized all three of the figures in the picture. A mother, father and their son.

His eyes drifted from the photograph, down towards the flames of the fire and they continued until they fell upon the small boy who was seated in front of the fireplace, seemingly staring at the Christmas tree, with his head resting on his hands.

"Such a sad face for a joyous occasion," the spirit spoke.

"It wasn't so joyous," Sky said, remembering that Christmas night. "It was the first Christmas without him. I wasn't interested in celebrating anything."

The slight sound of a creaking door caught Sky's attention. He turned his head to his left to see his mother entering from her bedroom. As she walked further into the living room, she saw her young son sitting on the floor. She had her hands rested behind her back, as she gave him a caring glance.

"Mom," Sky called out, having not seen his mother in too long.

He watched his mother slowly kneel next to her son on the hard-wood floor. She mustered a smile as the boy looked at her.

"Merry Christmas sweetheart," she said warmly.

The boy didn't respond. He simply returned his gaze to the glowing tree.

"Sky, I know it's been hard. I know I can't make up for your dad not being here," his mother said, "I just want you to be happy. He'd want you to smile and have a good Christmas."

She looked at the unwrapped gifts under the tree. They were all addressed to young Sky. They all remained unopened.

"Maybe you want to open just one," she said, as she brought her hands in front of her, revealing another wrapped box which she had been hiding behind her back.

"I don't want anything," the young boy said. .

"This one's very special," his mother replied. "It's from your dad."

That revelation caught the boy's attention. He looked back at his mother and then the gift, wrapped in red and green paper.

"How?"

"He bought if for you before his…accident," Mrs. Tate explained. "Why don't you open it? He wanted you to have it."

The young boy scrambled to his feet and took the box into his hand. Sky could feel his own heart rate increase as he watched his younger self holding the box tightly in his hand.

But in that moment, everything seemed to stop. It was a long moment as the boy glanced at the tag on the gift, handwritten by his father. The boy looked up on the mantle at his family portrait and the missing member who was not there. Without another word, the boy threw the beautiful wrapped Christmas present into the burning fire.

"Sky!" his mother shouted. "Why did you do that?"

Without a word, the young boy ran off to his own bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him. The elder Sky lowered his head a bit. Then, as he heard his mother's sobs he looked over at her. She seemingly cried a river and he was certain that if she were in the right position, her tears could have stopped the entire fire. Sky shook his head, then looked in the direction of his room.

"Why did you run away?" the ghostly apparition that resembled Doggie Cruger asked him.

"I guess I was too hurt, angry that he wasn't there," Sky said.

The spirit grabbed a hold of Sky's arm and guided him towards the boy's room. They passed through the walls as if they weren't even there. Inside, they both saw the young boy standing by his bed, holding tight to his father's broken Ranger helmet. The little boy shed no tears. He simply stared.

"It was a model airplane," the spirit spoke.

Sky's looked at him in confusion.

"What?"

"The gift you threw in the fire," the spirit revealed, "It was a model airplane. Your father always wished you'd become a pilot."

Sky's eyes returned to his younger self.

"Instead, you became him," the ghost said, before pulling Sky back through the wall.

But the living room of his childhood home was not waiting there. In fact, they were now back at the Delta Command Base, but this too was still the past, despite the light coating of snow on the ground around them. As they stood near a tree, Sky took in his surroundings.

"Why did you bring me here, spirit?" he asked.

"Consequences," the spirit said, cryptically.

Sky gave him another confused look, until he began to hear familiar voices heading in his direction. He watched a slightly younger version of himself run right into him, seemingly without notice. Sky's mouth opened a bit in astonishment, as he watched his other self waving goodbye to a group of cadets leaving the premises.

"Wait," Sky said, "I remember this. It was a few months after I first entered the Academy. Dru and I had just said goodbye to some of the cadets who went home for Christmas. I don't know why you brought me here."

"Observe," Cruger said, as he pointed off towards the SPD Academy entrance.

Sky looked in the other direction, leaving his other self and Dru Harrington behind. He saw the ghost was pointing at the real Doggie Cruger who was exiting the Academy, with another cadet at his side. The cadet looked highly saddened, as he carried his bags, filled with all of his belongings that he had brought with him. This cadet wasn't returning after the holiday.

"I'm truly sorry," Cruger told the young man, "I just don't believe SPD is the right fit for you Cadet Boom."

"Wow," Sky spoke from the spirit's side, behind the tree. "I didn't remember this was the same year Boom washed out."

"It's amazing what the human mind can forget, what it can consider unworthy of remembrance," the spirit responded.

Sky still seemed a bit confused as to why he was there. He looked back over at Cruger, who was now shaking Cadet Boom's hand. They parted ways and Boom walked off towards the waiting transports.

"What's going on?" Sky heard his younger self ask.

He turned back to Dru & Sky and saw two other freshman cadets, Bridge Carson and Sydney Drew approaching them.

"We heard Boom's not gonna be coming back," Bridge told them. "Commander Cruger discharged him."

"It's so sad," Syd said.

"Why?" Dru said, arrogantly, "It's not like he would have ever made squad status anyway."

He chuckled, as he nudged Sky's shoulder. Sky laughed with him.

"Exactly," Sky chimed in, "He never did anything but hold everyone else back in all his classes and we don't need a screw-up around."

"That's not very nice," Syd said, annoyed.

"It's true," Sky said, smiling with Dru, "It's people like that who get other people killed."

As Sky watched his younger self, he heard a slight breathing near him. He turned and was shocked to see Boom was now standing near that tree, just out of the sight of those cadets. Sky could feel his heart drop as he looked at Boom, who clearly couldn't see him.

"He heard us," Sky muttered.

He watched Boom continued on his way towards the transport shuttles. As he passed the group of cadets, he smiled widely.

"Have a Merry Christmas, everyone. I know you'll have a great new year," Boom said, as Bridge shook his hand.

"You do the same, Boom," Syd said.

Sky watched his younger self simply stare at Boom, along with his best friend Dru Harrington. They didn't say anything until the cadet got too far to hear their snickers.

"Why did he do that?" Sky asked the spirit. "Why did he wish us well when he heard what we said?"

"Because some people believe that one good deed can change minds…and hearts," the spirit explained. "I think the better question to ask is why you felt the need to tear down another soul during a season of giving."

Soon, the outside of SPD Headquarters was replaced with the inside of Sky's room. He found himself back in the present. He stepped back over to his bed, as he looked up at the spirit, who was still standing, almost glowing by the doorway.

"What I said didn't matter," Sky said, "Boom came back the next year, determined to serve SPD and he did, he still does."

"Still…it's hard to believe that the same little boy who couldn't face a gift from his father, could be so brash to another hurting soul," the spirit said.

"So, I was rude and crappy to Boom years ago. I'm not like that anymore," Sky said.

"We shall see," the spirit said, as it disappeared into the shadows.

Sky took a deep breath. Part of him wanted to try to wake Bridge again, but he knew that his roommate wouldn't believe him, even if he told him what had happened. Sky slumped into his bed and lay back, with his hands rested behind his head. He wanted to sleep, but it seemed that all he could think about was the past.

**PART THREE**

As the nightmares began to subside within his head, a sleeping Sky began to hear the faint sounds of humming. As his brain became more aware of the feminine voice, he realized that it wasn't coming from inside his head at all.

"Wake up, Sky," he heard the familiar young woman call out.

As he felt a strangely silky hand touch his arm, his eyes popped open. Standing over him, he saw exactly who he expected. It was his fellow cadet Sydney Drew. But, he also saw something that caught him off-guard. She had the same transparent, shimmering appearance that he had encountered in Doggie Cruger.

At that moment, Sky sat up in the bed.

"You're back?" Sky spoke to the spirit. "But why do you look like Syd now?"

"I can assure you that this is our first encounter," the ghost said, "As for my appearance, I felt a familiar face would put you at ease. She's beautiful, trusting & non-threatening, plus a little bossy. Perfect for a ghostly spirit, if you ask me."

"If I couldn't see through you, that might be more comforting right now," Sky replied.

Sky glanced over at Bridge's bed, seeing him still sleeping soundly.

"What kind of spirit are you exactly?" Sky asked the ghost.

The ghost spoke in Syd's naturally playful way. "I am the Ghost of Christmas present of course."

"Christmas present?" Sky said, "How ironic."

"Well, I can assure you the only gift you'll be receiving from me is a look at what you're missing," she said, as she reached out her ghostly hand. "Are you ready?"

Sky took a deep breath.

"Why not," he mumbled, as he took the ghost's hand, wondering for a moment if the spirit itself was female.

The spirit guided him towards the wall of his room. He glanced back at the sleeping Bridge, as she pulled his body right through, as if he were a ghost himself. Once Sky's body had passed through the wall, he could hear the sound of music. The 12 Days of Christmas, to be exact. And it wasn't just the music playing. Someone was singing along.

He looked around the Rec Room. It had been decorated with tinsel, stockings and a giant Christmas tree. He looked across the room where he saw that it was Boom was crooning, along with the holiday tune. Despite missing a few lines of the song, he was smiling brighter than ever. For a moment, Sky thought back to his past and the day he crushed Boom's spirit a little more than it already had been.

Sky did a double-take, as he saw his roommate Bridge Carson kneeling under the tree, shaking boxes that were wrapped in green. Sky turned to the spirit.

"I don't understand," he said. "Bridge was asleep."

"Let's just say that this present hasn't quite come yet," the spirit said. "You have to admit it does look like fun, though."

Sky sighed, as he gazed around a bit more. He saw Cruger and Kat standing by a large dining table which was full with food. They both seemed to be enjoying slices of fruit cake. Kat turned to the tree and glanced down at Bridge.

"Give it up," she said, "You'll never figure out what's in them."

Cruger leaned over towards him. "And I better not catch you using your genetic powers!"

Bridge smiled, as he looked up at them.

"How's the fruit cake? It's my mom's recipe," Bridge said.

Cruger and Kat looked at one another, as they chewed. Then, both looked back at Bridge and simultaneously spoke.

"Buttery!"

"Perfect," Bridge said, with a grin.

Sky shook his head as he looked around, trying to find a specific attendee who didn't appear to be present. As his gaze traveled, he noticed what seemed like a line of cadets marching into the room. He walked over to them and saw what they were all lined up for.

The real Sydney Drew was seated near the doors, kissing each and every one of them that passed by her. Sky looked confused until he saw the hanging mistletoe above her head. Boom walked over to Syd and tapped her on the shoulder.

"How long you think you can keep that up?" he asked.

"A little longer," she said with a smile, as she leaned over and planted a quick kiss on Boom's cheek. "Besides, I consider it charity."

Boom blushed.

"Carry on," he said, as he walked away.

"Isn't she cute?" the spirit said to Sky.

"Yeah, it all just makes me warm and fuzzy," he responded, sarcastically. "But where's Jack? He refused to go on patrol with me because it was Christmas Eve and blabbed on and on about how we're supposed to celebrate and honor our fellow man…he's not even here. I knew it was all a ploy to get out of work. I can't believe Cruger's standing for it."

The spirit sighed at Sky's side and took a hold of his hand.

"Not everyone can get to the Christmas spirit. Sometimes it has to be brought to them," the spirit said.

Sky didn't quite understand as the spirit pulled him through the Rec Room wall, which deposited them onto a Newtech City rooftop. Given that Sky was only wearing his blue t-shirt and uniform pants, he expected to feel the chill of the night air, but he was surprisingly comfortable, thanks to his supernatural situation.

"What are we doing out here?" Sky asked.

"You wanted to find Jack," the spirit said.

Sky looked back out over all of the nearby rooftops, but didn't see Jack anywhere.

"I don't understand," he said, just as he began to hear the faint sound of Jack's voice below.

"Sam!" Jack was yelling. "Sam!"

Sky wandered over to the edge of the rooftop and looked down. He saw Jack jogging across the street, where Z Delgado was waiting, seemingly in a panic.

"Why would he run off like that?" she asked her best friend. "I don't understand."

Jack gently grabbed her arms, trying to calm her.

"It's okay," he said. "We'll find him."

As Sky watched the two walk off together, he turned to see the spirit who looked like Syd was no longer at his side. He turned to see she had walked to the other side of the building and was looking down. Sky walked over to the ghostly force.

"What is it?" Sky asked, as he looked over to see what she was gazing at.

Down below, he saw the object of Z & Jack's search. Young Sam was sitting in the alley below, huddled in a ball. His sobbing echoed in the empty alleyway and even Sky could hear it from several stories above.

"What's wrong with him?" Sky asked, a bit concerned.

"I don't think he's in the mood to celebrate," the Ghost of Christmas Present answered. "Sound familiar?"

Sky continued to watch the young boy. He had his hands bundled under a black jacket, as he sat with his knees up near a dumpster. A few moments later Sky heard approaching footsteps.

"Sam!" Z shouted, as she came running into the alleyway, followed closely by Jack.

They both knelt beside him, as Z hugged the boy.

"You had us so worried," Z said. "What happened?"

"I just—I didn't want to stay," Sam said, sadly, as he wiped his damp face with his right hand, keeping his left concealed from the cold air.

"Why not?" Z pressed.

Then, Jack leaned over, grabbing her shoulder. He nodded to her to back off and she stood up, allowing him to get closer to Sam.

"Hey, buddy, I think I know why you ran away," Jack said, "It's hard this time of year for people like us."

Sam looked up at Jack for the first time since he entered the alley.

"I can't celebrate without her," Sam muttered, "It's too…"

"I know," Jack said. "I remember my first Christmas without my mother. I think I cried all night. I didn't have anywhere to go and I thought no one cared about what I was going through, what I was missing."

Sam nodded, as another tear fell.

"But you do," Jack said, as he put a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder. "You've got a home now and people that care about you a lot. Heck, we wouldn't be out here if we didn't."

"Please, Sam," Z chimed in, "Come home with us."

Sam looked back at Jack, who nodded.

"We're all family now," he said.

Sam nodded.

"Okay," he said, as he got to his feet and kept his ungloved hands under his jacket.

Z and Jack both put arms around him.

"How bout you give us a lift?" Jack asked him.

Sam smiled, as he waved his right hand over them, causing them all to disappear in an instant. A second later, they reappeared in the hallway around the corner from the Rec Room.

Sky found himself in that same spot, almost as if he had been teleported by Sam's wave too. He watched, as the trio approached the Rec Room and Sam stopped.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"Nothing," Sam said, "I just need to tie my shoe. I'll be right behind you."

"Okay," Z said, as she and Jack walked off.

Sky watched Sam kneel down to tie his shoe, pulling his left hand from under his jacket. He tied the shoe, as he winced in pain. Sky looked curious and walked closer, as the boy stood up and stared down at his palm, which had a very large cut on it. Sam balled up the hand and stuck it in his jacket pocket and walked off to the Rec Room. Sky stayed behind, looking at the spirit.

"What happened to his hand?" Sky asked.

"He injured himself while he was running outside," the spirit revealed.

"That didn't look good. He should get it checked out," Sky said.

"It doesn't appear that anyone else noticed," the spirit said, as she waved her hand, just like Sam did often, causing herself and Sky to appear inside the Rec Room, where everyone was celebrating around the dining table, drinking hot apple cider, making toasts.

"He's gonna go to the Infirmary after, right?" Sky asked.

"Perhaps if someone else were there, another watchful eye, he might," the spirit said, as she stared at Sky

He let out a deep breath as he heard Jack making the next toast.

"Finally, we have to drink one for Sky," he said, as groans were heard from almost everyone around the table. "Hey, hey. He can be a bit overbearing and surly and anti-social…but he's still a member of the family."

As no one else but Cruger appeared ready to raise a glass to Sky, Boom stood up next to Jack.

"Jack's right," Boom said, "Sky's heart is in the right place. Gruumm could attack at any moment."

"Please Boom," Syd said, annoyed, "If there were an emergency, we'd know it. He's not required to sit in the Command Center and purposely ignore everyone else."

"Agreed," Z said.

"Still," Jack said, "That doesn't mean we have to join him in lowering the holiday spirit around here."

"To Jack," Boom called out, as he joined glasses with Jack.

The others reluctantly followed suit. Sky was sporting a frown, partially due to the words he had just heard exchanged regarding him and partially due to the fact that Sam was still concealing his hand as he touched glasses with Z during the toast.

Moments later, he was once again in his room. Bridge was still asleep in his bed and Sky plopped down on his own, shaking his head.

"Why do they bother?" he spoke into the air, not exactly addressing the Ghost of Christmas Present, who stood near the doorway, glowing. "If I'm such a bad guy, why do they bother to include me, even when I'm not there?"

"Because not everyone can get to the Christmas spirit. Sometimes it has to be brought to them, even if they don't want it," the spirit said, repeating her earlier decree.

Sky was starting to realize that she wasn't only talking about Sam back there. She was also referring to him. He looked over at the ghost's image once more, but it was gone. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, still not truly believing what as happening to him on this night. Little did he know that this night for him would be longer still. In fact, the night was about to get even darker.

**PART FOUR**

As Sky Tate felt the icy gust of wind pass by him, he took a deep breath, knowing now exactly what it meant. He opened his eyes, which he had only been resting, unable to get back to sleep. Truthfully, he was still unsettled by this night's events and the spirit that had now joined him in his room was not prepared to alleviate his nervousness.

Even Sky could feel the presence around this spirit was darker than either of his two previous visitors. He almost shuddered to think what form the ghost had taken or what he planned to show Sky. He turned and looked at the doorway of his room and saw the ghost standing there, wearing a black hooded cloak. Sky stood up.

"Which ghost are you?"

The spirit slowly walked towards Sky, extending its arm. Sky, however, got no clues to the ghost's identity since it was wearing gloves that matched its cloak. When the ghost's hand touched Sky's shoulder, they were immediately transported outside of his room, outside of the Delta Command Base.

As Sky arrived at his destination, he wondered where on Earth he could be, or if it was Earth at all. There was so much darkness and desolation around him. Buildings were crumbling. Others were already piles of debris. He could see fires burning in the distance. His first thought was that he had been taken to hell. Even the sky above him was red, seemingly stained with blood.

"Where are we?" Sky called out to the spirit.

The cloaked figure lifted another arm, pointing off in the distance. Sky turned, almost losing his footing. He found he was standing on a large pile of ash and crushed metal and stone. A great structure had collapsed. There was so much damage throughout the area that he could see no signs of any concrete sidewalks. Every inch was covered in black ash or pieces of crushed debris.

He followed the spirit's arm towards a car, which had been torn in half. As he got closer, he heard a helicopter flying over his head. He glanced up to see the vehicle was smoking as it shook, heading towards the ground. He took cover, as it came crashing down only a few blocks from his position.

As Sky fell, his back hit the fender of the damaged car. He turned to look at the license plate and was stunned to see the familiar dog-shaped symbol of SPD on the half-bent metal license plate. He rubbed at the vehicle with his hand, knocking off layers of ash that revealed it was once a white and black SPD patrol cruiser.

"No," Sky whispered. "No!"

He turned back to the spirit, as the alarms seemed to be getting louder around him.

"This can't be—it's not Newtech City!" Sky shouted.

"Run!" a voice called out in the distance.

Sky watched in stunned silence as he saw Z Delgado was the one who had shouted. Several citizens, all covered in ash went running right past Sky, followed by Z.

"Keep moving," she said.

Sky stood in her path, with his hands up, trying to halt her.

"Z!" he called out, "Z, what happened?"

Z, however, ran right through him, as if he were a ghost. But as she passed through, she paused. She turned back in his direction, causing Sky's eyes to widen.

"Z! Z, can you see me?" Sky asked, as he began walking towards her.

But before he could get to her, he noticed she was glancing at the ground. Her eyes never looked up at him. She fell to her knees and began pawing at the wreckage beneath her feet.

"What are you doing?" Sky asked, as he turned back to the spirit. "What's she doing? What happened here?"

"No," Z stammered, on the verge of tears.

Sky walked closer to her and knelt down next to her, seeing what she had unearthed beneath all of the rubble. Sky's jaw dropped as he saw it was the large canine emblem that adorned the outside of the Delta Command Base. It had a large hold burned into its middle.

"This isn't happening," Sky said. "How?"

"Z!"

Sky and the Yellow Ranger both turned at the same time. Z scrambled to her feet as she saw Jack Landors stumbling towards her, clearly injured. He fell to his knees before she could reach him.

"Jack! You're alive!" she said, crying with happiness, "But how? How did you get away from Devastation and Morgana?"

"Devastation and Morgana," Sky repeated, appearing more confused.

"I don't even remember," Jack said, as blood trickled from his mouth.

"How did it get so bad?" Z asked.

"The…others," Jack mumbled through the pain.

"They didn't make it," Z said, "I saw Bridge and Syd die right in front of me. I just ran. I couldn't—I couldn't fight anymore."

Jack moved his hand to her face, despite the fact that she was the only thing holding him up.

"It's…okay. You…made it," Jack said, as he coughed up more blood. "You…have to…Sky."

Before he could say more, he fell over on his stomach, as Z gasped, seeing his back had been severely burned. His blood was now on her hands, as she cried at his side.

"Jack!" she yelled, "Jack! Please, don't die."

As she felt his pulse leave his body, she staggered to her feet. She pulled the morpher from her holster and as she heard screaming in the distance, her eyes filled with fury. She let out a fierce battle cry and sprinted off towards the screams.

Sky could do nothing but watch her.

"I have to help her," he whispered.

It was at that moment, that he began to put the pieces together. For some reason, he hadn't been able to get the image of Sam out of his head. He walked over to the ghost.

"Morgana? Devastation?" Sky said, "We beat them. Omega Ranger came and he helped us defeat them! What happened?"

The spirit stood unmoving.

"Why won't you answer me?" Sky yelled. "He didn't die. Sam didn't die! Tell me he didn't die!"

Sky let out a furious scream. As his eyes fixed on the crumbled Delta Command Base all around him, he thought back to Jack's final words.

"Jack mentioned me," Sky said, as he looked at the spirit again, unable to make out a face underneath the hood. "Where am I? Why wasn't I there with him or with Z and the others? Where am I?"

The spirit walked up to Sky, once again putting its hand on his shoulder. They were instantly teleported again. Sky glanced around his surroundings and was still confused.

He didn't understand where he was. It was all still so dark. He couldn't see anything.

"I don't understand," Sky called out in the darkness. "Where are we? I can't see!"

As the spirit began to glow more underneath its cloak, a light beamed out from under its hood, giving Sky a clear stream of light to see that he was still on a battlefield. Crushed machinery was everywhere, crumbled structures lined the area. As the spirit's light ended, Sky could make out hints of blue in the distance. He walked slowly towards the blue. As he got closer, he realized that it was something big on the ground. Sky stepped even closer and then he stopped, in shock. It was his Delta Runner and half of it seemed to be embedded in the ground. It had crashed, he thought.

"I'm not in there," Sky said, as he turned back to the spirit, "Am I in there?"

The spirit did not answer and Sky no longer expected it to. He began to jog towards the Delta Runner when it burst into flames right in front of his eyes.

"No!" Sky yelled, as watched the flames coming from inside the zord.

"Sky!"

Sky's face turned quickly, as he saw Boom come running into the area.

"Sky, hold on," Boom said. "I'll get you out…I'll find a way."

"Boom," Sky called out, but Boom could not hear him.

Boom had a small fire extinguisher in his hand, but it was no match for the rising, fearsome flames. Sky mentally cheered Boom on, hoping that he could stop the burning.

"Sky, just hold on," Boom said, in a panic.

"It's not enough," Sky mumbled.

Boom emptied the extinguisher and threw it to the ground in frustration.

"Just hold on, Sky!" Boom yelled, as he ran off.

Sky shook his head and turned back to the cloaked spirit. As he walked towards him, he could feel the wind intensifying around him. He knew it must have been fanning the flames inside of the Delta Runner, further burning the soul inside.

"Why did you show me this?" Sky shouted at the spirit. "Why did you show me all of this if I can't do anything to stop it?"

The spirit did not answer. The windy breeze blew a piece of newspaper right up to Sky's leg. He grabbed hold of it and wiped enough of the ash off to read the date.

_December 25, 2027 _

"Why are you doing this to me? This can't be the future! It can't happen like this! Do you hear me?"

As Sky got closer, the wind picked up. In fact, it was now blowing so much that it blew the hood off of the ghost, revealing the ghostly image of someone very familiar.

"Bridge?" Sky asked, stunned. "Bridge—spirit, what is all of this? You have to tell me! Is this really my future?"

Sky reached out to grab the spirit, intending to force the being to finally talk to him, but as he grabbed the black cloak, the spirit that resembled Bridge Carson disappeared. Sky was unprepared for that and fell over, grabbing onto the black cloak as it fell onto the rubble below.

At that moment, Sky jumped up in his bed, clawing at the sheets that had covered his body.

"Bridge! Bridge!" Sky yelled, as he woke.

"Sky, what's wrong?" Bridge called out from his bed.

Sky calmed himself, as he realized he was back in his room. He looked over at Bridge who was looking very disturbed at Sky's behavior.

"What time is it?" Sky said, as he tried to catch his breath.

"It's like 7:30," Bridge revealed, as he rubbed his eyes.

"There's still time," Sky mumbled to himself, as he jumped out of bed and grabbed a change of clothes.

"Time for what?" Bridge said, as he yawned.

**PART FIVE**

Hours had passed since Sky Tate woke from the most active dream he had ever had. In that time, he managed to accomplish several tasks, none of which included a visit to the Command Center.

As he exited the final stop on his whirlwind jaunt through Newtech City's shopping district, he smiled. It was cold and there were many people milling about the shops. He didn't stop to see if any of them were planning to rob the unmanned, automated shopping outlets. Instead, he walked amongst them, heading for home.

Once he was back inside the Delta Command Base, Sky set out on his second mission of the day. He scoured the halls of the place, until he found the object of his search. In fact, he almost ran into the child as he turned a corner.

"Sam!" Sky said, as he instinctively grabbed Sam to prevent them from bumping into one another. "I've been looking for you."

Sam gave him a confused glance.

"For me?" he asked. "Why?"

"I wanted to say Merry Christmas," Sky said. "You're coming to Boom's Christmas thing later, right?"

"Um…Z told me about it," Sam said, "I don't know if I really want to go."

"Well, I hope you do come," Sky said, "I've got a feeling it's gonna be really special. In fact, I'm counting on you being there."

"Why?"

"Because, I've got something special, just for you," Sky said. "Besides, Z and Jack would really miss you if you didn't come. We're a family, remember."

Sam seemed to cheer up a bit and he nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be there," he said, before trotting off.

Sky made a mental note to make sure to watch out for Sam on this day. He continued on his way, as he knew there was still much to be done before Boom's party.

A few hours later, things were in full swing in the Rec Room. Boom was starting the Christmas music, Syd was hanging the mistletoe, Bridge was helping Jack and Z organize the food on the dining table and Cruger and Kat were stuffing wrapped gifts under the large and colorful tree.

"Don't put mine too far in the back," Bridge said to them, with a smile.

Boom grabbed a microphone and activated the karaoke machine. Just after pressing the play button, the doors to the Rec Room slid open. Syd sat down on her stool, expecting her first charity case, but everyone was stunned to see Sky enter, carrying several wrapped boxes. Boom accidentally stopped the music, not realizing his finger had touched the button. This caused even more attention to fall on the arriving Blue Ranger.

"I don't believe it," Z said.

"Sky, is something wrong?" Kat called out.

"Not at all," Sky said. "I thought you were having a party."

"Oh, we are!" Boom said, quickly, as he restarted the music. "Come on in!"

Sky took his presents over to the tree and began helping Cruger place them underneath with the rest.

"This is a surprise," Cruger said to Sky, as the cadets began entering for their kisses under the mistletoe with Syd.

"A pleasant one, I hope," Sky responded.

"Of course," Cruger said, "But do you mind telling me what changed your mind. This is the first time I've ever seen you attend a Christmas party."

"Well, I guess I just realized that I've got a lot to celebrate. It's been hard over the years, but I'm gonna start looking at the positives and not dwelling so much on the negatives," Sky said. "No regrets."

Cruger nodded, "Your father would be proud."

Sky smiled. As he made it to his feet, he saw Sam enter.

"Hey, buddy," Jack called out as he and Z walked over to Sam. "We were hoping you'd make it."

Sky bent over and grabbed one gift in particular. He walked over to the trio and knelt down to face Sam.

"As promised," Sky handed the box to the boy.

"Can I open it now?" Sam asked.

"Sure," Sky responded.

"It's not ticking, is it?" Z said, giving Sky a confused look.

Jack nudged her on the shoulder to quiet her, as Sam opened the box to find a model airplane.

"Wow, cool," Sam said, "I always wanted one of these. Thanks Sky."

"Me too," Sky said, quietly.

As Sam walked off with Z and the plane, Jack stood next to Sky.

"Glad you could make it," he said, "But uh, who's watching over the city?"

"If there's an emergency, the alarms will let us know," Sky said, as he put a nonchalant arm around Jack's shoulder. "Come on, Jack. This is supposed to be a party. Last one to kiss Syd is a rotten egg!"

Sky rushed off towards the mistletoe, with Jack not far behind.

After getting his kiss, Sky found Boom and pulled him over to a more secluded area of the Rec Room.

"Hey, Boom, we need to talk," Sky said.

"Oh, are you leaving?" Boom said, looking disappointed. "It's okay. I mean, I never expected you to—"

"Boom, no. I'm not leaving," Sky said, cutting off his stammering friend. "I just wanted to apologize."

"For what? Saying you weren't gonna come to the party?"

"Well, yeah, but that's not it. A couple years ago I said some pretty hurtful things about you," Sky explained.

"You did?" Boom said, "I don't remember that."

"Still, I said some things that I shouldn't have because I wanted to impress someone that wasn't worth my attention," Sky said. "I just hope you can forgive me."

"I forgive you, Sky," Boom said, without hesitation.

Boom extended a hand for Sky to shake, sealing the issue firmly in the past.

After tasting Bridge's fruit cake, watching the others unwrap their gifts, and singing a Christmas carol or two, Sky joined his family around the dining table, as the time for toasts arrived. After hearing most of them thank him amongst their toasts, Sky smiled even wider. Before the toasts were completed, Sky stood and raised his own glass.

"I just want to say thanks to everyone for welcoming me today," Sky said, "This has to be the best Christmas I've had in a long, long time. The holidays were always hard after my dad died. I always chose to ignore the holiday to help myself cope, but I realize now that somewhere along the way I started trying to make other people feel as unhappy as I did."

Sky glanced around at each of them as he spoke.

"But, I've learned celebrating isn't bad and it doesn't mean you forget what you've lost. It means you have the courage to look ahead and appreciate the good things in life and strive to create more positive memories and this is gonna be right up there on my list for a long time," Sky stated, "So, I wanna wish everyone the very best this holiday season and more than that, I hope everyone has many more happy holidays for years to come."

"Cheers," Jack said, with a smile.

"Cheers," the others said, following his lead.

As Sky sat down next to Sam, he smiled, seeing the boy still holding onto his model airplane, with a perfectly healthy left hand.

"God bless us, everyone," Sam said, with a chuckle, causing everyone to smile.

**THE END**

(Merry Christmas)**  
**


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